The Daughter
by TwinTrouble
Summary: Ending the series in style! The Animorphs are saved and, with a fancy bit of timetwisting, Rachel is given back her life so that… they can save their future selves.
1. Prologue

**Jake**

"Ram the Blade Ship."

Menderash complied, swinging the _Rachel_ into the black ship before them. There was a sickening _crunch_, and then everything went black.

I opened my eyes. I was somewhere and yet, somehow, nowhere. I leapt to my feet, surprised. Surprised because I hadn't expected to be able to leap anywhere, let alone to my feet. I looked around, instantly searching for my team. Marco was collapsed near me. _Oh, no_, I thought, running to him. I knelt next to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was freezing cold. _No! No, no, no!!_ I shook him gently. "Marco? Marco!" _He's dead, Jake. They're all dead, and it's all your fault! _ "Marco!!" I yelled again, shaking him hard. Suddenly, the Hispanic man opened his eyes.

"What… Jake? What happened?"

"I don't know," I admitted, then: "Stay here."

"Here? Where is 'here', anyway?"

Shrugging, I stood up again and looked around again. I was searching for the others that had been on that Blade Ship. Tobias, Menderash, and of course the two human students from my class. I spotted a pile of feathers crumpled on the floor, a few feet from us. "Tobias?" I murmured, picking him up, "Oh, Tobias. I'm sorry to have dragged you into this mess."

"Hey! Where's my apology?!" demanded Marco, grinning. "Or am I not as precious as Tobias?"

Ignoring Marco's teasing, I made to move on when the bird in my arms stirred. ((Jake? Wh… where are we?))

"I'm not sure," I murmured, setting him on my shoulder and wondering where the other members of the _Rachel_'s crew were.

((Jake…)) murmured Tobias in his mind.

"Yes, Tobias?" Wherever the others were, they weren't here. There was just one more figure that the dim light revealed collapsed on the ground. I moved towards it gingerly.

((Um… listen, I'm sorry about what I… about the way I've been acting these past few years. I… we've been friends since, well, since Elfangor landed in front of us, you know? And I… we should stay friends, I think.)) I felt my very soul inside me twist in agony at his words. He was forgiving me, and in turn asking for forgiveness. After all I had done, after I had ordered Rachel to her death, he was _forgiving _me! More than that, he was asking for my forgiveness, as though he'd been wrong to hate me.

((Jake?)) asked Tobias uncertainly.

"Tobias, you don't need to apologise to me. I'm sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry."

((Well… friends?))

"Friends," I agreed. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Marco doing a small victory dance as we made up. Grinning, I moved to the figure on the floor. It was a blue Andalite, painfully familiar. "Ax," I breathed. Suddenly his four eyes flickered open. I stiffened, ready to morph, knowing as I did that he was now an enemy.

((Ax!?)) cried Tobias, unable to take it any longer. ((Ax-man, are you alright?))

The Andalite stirred slightly. ((Prince Jake? I…)) he seemed confused. Then, he went into overdrive. ((Where is he?! Get away! Don't touch me! Leave me alone!!!)) He seemed about to bolt. I knew what was happening. The 'One' as he called himself had abandoned Ax to his death, as we had so long ago seen Visser Three do to Alloran when Alloran was poisoned. I grabbed Ax's shoulders and said "It's okay. He's gone."

((Prince Jake?)) he muttered blearily, seeming to just recognise me.

"Ax." I replied. "You're okay?"

((Prince Jake! What happened? How did we get here?)) He rose unsteadily to his hooves. ((And, come to think of the matter, why am I alive?))

"Come to think of it, why am _I_ alive?" said Marco. "We rammed the Blade ship. Big boom and we end up here. I don't like this. It's too tidy. Ax is back and safe, not to mention uninjured or a part of that… thing. What did it call itself? The One?"

"I think so, yeah," I muttered.

"Whatever. But what if it's a trap? I know I shouldn't have any reason to be suspicious, the war's over and all, but…"

"True," I admitted. "This is too clean. And what happened to Menderash? Is he lost out here too? Or are we on our own?"

"You're certainly not on your own," said a quiet voice from behind us.

"Cassie?!"

She looked faintly annoyed. "Duh. Where are we, why are we here, and –"

"–All those other important questions," I finished. "But everyone's here now. All of the Animorphs. Cassie, Marco, Tobias, Ax, and me of course."

"And me!"

Heads snapped around. Eyes stared. It was too good to be true. It couldn't be! Could it?

((Rachel?)) whispered Tobias.

"The one and only!" the blonde girl declared.

((Rachel!)) Tobias swooped down and landed on her shoulder. ((Rachel, this is impossible!)) He rubbed his head against her cheek. She laughed.

"So is us being here," Marco pointed out. "And once upon a time, we'd have thought an alien invasion was impossible, too. Not to mention us winning that war. We live in a world of impossibilities. Maybe this is just one more."

I laughed. Then I hugged Rachel. My cousin had come back to life!

Cassie sprinted over and hugged her, too. Tobias flapped away, complaining, ((Can't a guy have a bit of space?))

"Not when dead friends reappear out of nowhere," said Marco. "So, Rachel, what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Rachel smiled in amusement. "Roundabout what you guys are doing: wondering what the hell is going on."

Cassie laughed and Marco whooped. "To the Animorphs!" he shouted.

"Yes, yes. To the Animorphs." came a quiet voice from a corner. We all turned to see the Ellimist standing before us. "Ellimist?" I demanded, "Is this your doing?!"

"Yes," he said simply, and then fell silent. I glared at him. The others all glared at him. He stared pleasantly back.

Finally, Cassie said, "Oh, just ask him already!"

"Fine," I murmured, "What is going on? Why have you intervened?"

"Because you need help," he replied simply.

"Well, yes, but a simple fix-a-ship would have done. Why have you done the whole saving-Rachel stuff? Not that I object," Marco added swiftly.

"Not you," the smiling Ellimist said.

"But you just said-"

"It is your future selves that require assistance," he continued, "or, more specifically, your daughter, Jake."

"My-"

"Daughter, yes. She needs you, Jake. Will you help her?"

"At what cost?" I demanded. He smiled.

"If you die, I will not save you again."

"Oh, that's great. We never expect you to save us anyway," said Rachel cuttingly.

"She makes a good argument!" put in Marco.

"I have even given you Rachel for the duration of this task," added the Ellimist tactfully, but Cassie picked up his careful wording.

"Only 'for the duration of this task', huh?" she said sadly. I stiffened and tightened my arms, still around Rachel, until I held her firmly. Rachel herself had gone deathly pale. _No!_ my mind screamed at me, _not deathly pale! Not deathly!_ I thought quickly, and then addressed the Ellimist.

"This is important, isn't it? I mean, this kid is obviously in trouble for you to do all this, right? And I'd wager it'll be difficult to get her out of the fix she's in, right?" Waiting only until the Ellimist nodded tersely, I said "In that case, I require payment."

"Payment, Jake?" he said.

"Yes, payment," I replied stubbornly. "Rachel. You will pay me with her life, or we will not help you or this girl you claim is my daughter. And that's my price: I will accept nothing less."

In the gloom, I could just make out the Ellimist's nod. "So be it," he said, and then all went black.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: If you haven't read The Beginning, then you shouldn't read this, because this is what happens when two disgruntled Animorph fans band together to end the Animorphs series once and for all!

Thank you to all the people who reviewed, especially to Darth Vader es Cool 5, who gave us our most helpful review, and animorph19, who was our first reviewer.

We're going to reply to the anonymous reviews here, 'kay?

**sam:** Twin2: more below

Twin1: glad you liked it!

**animorph19**: Twin2: we refuse to give away any of our secrets this early in the game.

Twin1: however, you are our first reviewer and so you deserve a hint.

Twin2: the Ellimist addressed Jake specifically, as he is the leader of the Animorphs, and so it was vital that HE understood.

Twin1: also, your original assumption was as to her parentage was false.

**Jake**

I woke up, my head pounding. I glanced around, blinking in the sudden light. _Where am I? Where are the others? How did I get here? Oh, wait. The Ellimist. _I could hear Marco in the background muttering something rude about said Ellimist. _Okay, Marco's nearby. That's good._

((Where are we?)) came Tobias's thought speak.

"Far, far away and in a completely different time than when we started?" guessed Marco. "But I wonder where Jake is. Oh, fearless leader!" he shouted suddenly, "Did we get stuck out here on our own?"

"No," I grunted, sitting up. "I'm here too." I looked up at Marco. "Say, any id –" I broke off, and stared. Yes, it was still Marco, but it was the fifteen year old Marco I'd once known. Not the grown man.

Marco was equally shocked. "Jake… You're a kid again."

Tobias shot down. ((Hello, Jake. So, where are we, _when_ are we, and all those other important questions?)) He paused and flapped to a branch. ((Like, why you look like you're fifteen again?))

The girls and Ax came walking up behind me. "Hey, boys," said Cassie cheerfully, as though nothing was wrong, and this was a perfectly normal, everyday situation. "Figured anything out yet?"

"Not quite," I said, getting to my feet and grinning at her. I had missed Cassie on our long voyage through space. The three of them had reverted to their fifteen year old state as well.

Quiet footsteps interrupted us. We all froze.

"Plan please, Jake," said Marco.

I thought for a second. "Okay, it could be a group of Hork-Bajir coming to kill us. Or it could just be a group of tourists."

"He asked for a plan, not a definition." Rachel retorted.

"Okay… I want everyone on the edge of the tree-line. Hork-Bajir, into the trees fast, morph birds and haull butt. Tourists, then…"

"Into trees faster," Marco completed with a grin.

We waited. The footsteps padded closer. Every now and again they would stop for a minute, and then start again. It was close enough now for us to realize that there was only one or maybe two people.

Finally, our person made her appearance. It was a young girl. About fifteen, and breathtakingly beautiful. In fact, if you listened really closely you could hear Marco's jaw hitting the ground.

The moment I saw her, I had the strong feeling that I had met her before.

"That's impossible," I told myself. Yet the feeling would not leave me.

The girl had tumbling thick brown hair that curled and tangled around her shoulders. Her huge eyes matched her hair, and were deep, full of secrets and mystery. At the same time, they were laughing, dancing, cheerful, happy, gentle eyes that made you want to laugh with the pure joy of it. They also held an element of danger and excitement. They shone like stars, betraying that she had just done something dangerous or reckless, and enjoyed it. Her skin was pale and smooth. She stood a little taller than Marco, but not as tall as Rachel. She was slight and, as mentioned before, very, very beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed with running. When she moved, she did so with an almost inhuman grace and speed. Even when she was standing stock still, you could tell that she was fast. Her feet made almost no sound on the forest floor when she moved. In fact, it had not been her that we had heard at all, but the wolf that now came trotting up by her side.

She froze upon the sight of us. Panic and indecision began to fill her face, and then evaporated. She smiled.

"HI!" she said, bounding towards us. She was moving so fast that I thought that she would crash into us, but she stopped in front of us without even skidding. She looked around at our semi-circle. "Andalite, human, human, human, and human." she said, not a bit perturbed by the presence of an alien, "Who are you?"

I hesitated, but decided that I could probably tell her the truth. "We're the Animorphs," I said gaurdedly. "Who are you?"

"Kiadicash Rachel Berenson," she recited.

We all stared.

"Right, do you have a nickname that goes with that?" asked Marco.

"Kia," she laughed.

((Kiadicash Rachel Berenson.)) repeated Ax.

"Yep." Her eyes narrowed. "But call me that and I may be forced to kill you. My name is Kia."

((But, _kiadicash_ is an Andalite word,)) said Ax, confused.

"I know." She rolled her eyes. "Go argue with my parents. Dad insists that it suits me."

((It means 'of the Prince' or 'Prince's Pride',)) offered Ax.

"Which might explain it, as _Prince Jake _is my father," was her sarcastic reply.

A/N:

Twin1: well, there it is! The second chapter is up! Yay!!!

Twin2: actually, that's the first chapter. The other one was the prologue.

Twin1: whatever. Anyway, please review! Even if you don't like it, review, and tell us what's wrong with it! Review!!!

Twin2: or don't. your opinions don't matter to me. I just like writing the stories.

Twin1: NO!! Don't tell them that! Anyway, you DO take on board the reviews that ARE sent to you!!

Twin2: good point. But I want to read the reviews the reviewers want to send me. You, reader, are not being coerced into reviewing.

Twin1: ignore her!!!!! PLEASE review!!! Please?


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Twin2: We do not own anything. K A Applegate owns the Animorphs, the characters, the universe...  
Twin1: However, in the parallel universe we come from, we DO own the Animorphs. So that kinda counts.  
Twin2: No it doesn't.  
Twin1: But-  
Twin2: Shut up! you're gonna get us sued. We own nothing!  
Twin1: Grumble.

A/N: Twin1: Hey everybody! That is, if anyone reads this…

Twin2: Here is the update. Sorry it took so long.

Twin1: Hey! We're on opposite sides of the world at the moment, so writing our fanfics is becoming difficult. Thank god for email.

Twin2: Anyway, the next chapter should be up soon. That is, unless my IT teacher catches me typing instead of HTML coding again…

Twin1: She's risking detention for you lot! Be grateful! Show your gratitude by reviewing!!!

**Jake**

"Which might explain it, as _Prince Jake _is my father."

There was a moment of stunned silence. _Oh, crap! _I thought, _And we told her we were the Animorphs! She thinks we're lying or playacting! _Now we would have to earn her trust, and how were we supposed to keep the kid safe if she thought us liars? We continued to stare at each other, and then Marco broke into a grin.

"Howdy! So you're Jake's daughter, huh? You have no idea how much we wanted to meet you! We'd travel through time itself to meet _you_!"

Cassie gave the smallest smile at this. The girl cocked her head at us, considering. I watched her eyes travel from Marco to Cassie to Rachel to Ax, and then on to me. Her expression was sceptical. Then she smiled.

"Well then," she began, "I don't see any real harm in letting you hang around." Her smile disappeared quicker than a fox down a hole. "But you better drop the whole 'Animorph' thing. I've quarrelled with my father." Kia's voice lowered to a mutter. She seemed to almost forget we were there and speak to herself. "All I did was speak my mind to those blue _ilangits_ from outer space. Dad always tells me to be honest, and when I finally am, I get in trouble! Geez, call one Andalite Council idiots and you get the talking to of your life! All about '_trying_ not to create a blood feud between us and our greatest allies' – whatever!"

"Wait. You did _what_?!" demanded Marco. The girl jumped.

"What galaxy have you been living in?! It's been all over the news."

"Well, we don't usually watch the news," I offered as a sort of explanation. She turned her huge brown eyes onto me.

"Oh," she said simply. Then; "Well, I'm tired. I'm going to rest here for a while. 'F you want to hang around, that's fine," she said, leaning her back against a tree. The wolf that had stood quietly at her side until this point moved and wrapped himself around her, then lowered his head onto her lap. In a few moments the girl's breathing was deep and even, and her head resting on her chest. She was asleep. The others all gathered around me.

"She called the _Andalite Council _idiots?!" hissed Marco, "Is she insane?!?!"

"What do we do?" asked Cassie, "I mean, what are we meant to do? What do we need to protect her from? I hardly think it's just the Andalite Council."

((Although that would be a job enough,)) added Tobias dryly.

"I don't know," I said despairingly, "We'll just have to play it by ear."

"Yeah!" said Rachel enthusiastically. "Wait 'till someone attacks her, then rip his throat out!"

((It's so good to have our old Rachel back,)) chuckled Tobias.

((I believe that we have no choice but to follow Rachel's suggestion. We must simply wait for the danger to arise before we can do anything to help your daughter, Prince Jake,)) said Ax.

"Don't call me prince," I said automatically.

((Yes, Prince Jake.))

"Ah, just like old times."

"Shut up, Marco."

"Like I said…"

Suddenly, Kia's eyes snapped open. She yawned and stretched, causing the wolf on her lap to whine and raise his head. "Well, that was a refreshing nap," she said cheerfully, "I feel rested!"

"You were sleeping for, like, ten minutes!" said Marco.

"Really?! Ten whole minutes! Wow, no wonder I feel refreshed!" There was a pause, in which Kia stood up, and we all stared at her. I couldn't help it. Who was this girl?! She stood staring back at us for a few moments. "I'm bored!" she announced, "Let's go!"

"Go where?" asked Cassie. Kia paused.

"You know, I hadn't thought of that," she mused. "Let's go… um… this way!" she said, trotting off in a random direction. Her wolf followed her.

"Jake," said Rachel in an undertone. "I hate to say it, but your daughter is a nut!"

"I've noticed!"

We followed her at a distance, keeping her in sight. I was tense, like a coiled spring, expecting at any moment something to leap out at her and slit her throat, fire a gun, or try to strangle her.

After about an hour of this, I was sick of it. Marco was beginning to whine loudly, and even Ax looked tired.

The girl ahead stopped suddenly. She started to backtrack towards us, without looking over her shoulder. I expected her to stop when she reached us, but she didn't, walking into me.

"Oof!"

"Ow!" She looked at me, carefully placing us in her vision, and then started walking backwards again. Shrugging, we followed.

"May I ask what the hell we are doing?" asked Marco, in the politest way possible.

"Evading a lot of big people with guns."

We all went still. Then Cassie said quietly, "You're awfully calm. How many are there?"

The girl chewed the inside of her lip. "Depends what time it is. Hm, it's noon, so about twenty of them, up to fifty."

"Fifty," Marco whispered. "Man, we're in for it now."

She gave him a withering glance. "No fear for you. It's me they're after."

"Yet you're still very calm," I pointed out. "Aren't you worried about them shooting you on sight?"

Kia chuckled quietly. "If they even thought about doing that my dad would skin them alive."

Marco winced. "Friendly."

Kia held a finger to her mouth and gestured us to follow. We retreated further, and then Kia changed directions and crept towards a thicket of trees and peeked through them. We followed her. Beyond the trees was a clearing and about thirty-odd men were standing in it. They were all big, mean-looking and toting large guns, and were gathered around a scarred Andalite.

"Oh, no," groaned Kia, staring at the Andalite, "I didn't know _he_ was here! He's not s'posed to be here 'till next week! Oh man, I'm in trouble!"

I caught Kia's arm, and she turned to me. "Kia, who are these people? Why are they searching for you? Are you-" The girl gestured for me to be quiet, and pointed at the small army before us again.

"We can't find her, sir," said one man to the Andalite. The Andalite laughed.

((You're new at this, aren't you? I can tell.)) The man puffed out his chest.

"I've served in the army and the Special Forces for ten years, and was hand-picked for this detail by the prince himself, so I am well capable of finding a fifteen-year-old!"

The Andalite scoffed. ((Yep, you're new. I don't care how many years you've served: you're new on _this_ detail, and therefore you have no idea just how hard it will be to catch this particular fifteen-year-old. Prince Jake's daughter has been well trained: she's what the FBI calls a ghost. She can move silently, and leave no trace behind her. Now, can _you_ catch a ghost, _larang_?)) The man before him turned a slight shade of pink and lowered his gaze. ((I thought not,)) said the Andalite smugly. Then another of the men spoke up.

"But sir, with all due respect, we _have_ combed the forest looking for her, and she hasn't turned up. She _can't _be here."

((Oh, really?)) the Andalite said. Then he raised his thought-speak voice and called, ((Kia, if you could please come out.)) The girl next to me froze. The men shifted uncomfortably. To them it must have looked like he was speaking to the trees. ((Kia, this is not how I want to spend my few weeks on Earth. _Don't_ make me come and get you.))

Kia gulped and stepped forward into the clearing. "Hi, Ax," she said sunnily.

A/N: Twin2: I don't have much to say. I'm allergic to prawns.

Twin1: Riiiight. In other news, that's this chapter done. A special note for animorph19: There! Do you STILL think she's a Mary-Sue?!?

Twin2: Calm down.

Twin1: But...but…but… fine. Review! Please?


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **

Twin2: Ownership of the Animorphs is not ours. Does this take a genius to work out?!  
Twin1: Down girl. Sit. Don't kill anyone.  
Twin2: I'm not going to kill anyone. Maim the next person who asks me why I look so mad, maybe.  
Twin1: Whoa! Down! Sit! Bad girl!  
Twin2: Grrrrrrr...  
Twin1: We don't own them. We're just writing stories about them as a way to calm our frustrations over the desperately annoying cliff-hanger we were left with. Excuse me. Down girl! Sit!  
Twin2: Raaar!

A/N: Twin2: Sorry this is taking so long to get up. We first wrote this when we were thirteen…

Twin1: And quite frankly, it sucked. So we have to re-write entire chapters and re-weave the completely shredded plot.

Twin2: I promise! We do have a plot!

Twin1: Yes, we actually have a plot now! Anyway, enjoy.

Twin2: See you at the bottom, or else!

**Rachel**

"Hi, Ax."

We stared in shock, with more than one set of jaws hanging open. I noted with pleasure that fifty percent of the men in the clearing were in the same stance. I was also glad to note that we hadn't been spotted. Yet.

The man who had so firmly insisted that he was "not new" shook his head in admiration. "Y'know, Prince Aximili, sometimes I could swear you was magic," he drawled.

The "Prince Aximili" spared a second to shoot him a withering glance. The man winced.

"Hiya, Ax! I wasn't expecting you for ages and I missed you and I hope that Tobias is doing alright and oh yeah, I found some new friends in the woods." Kia was talking really fast. "They've been following me around and helping me… um, explore. Can we take them home with us? I don't think they're from around here and they look really lost. I'm not lost, though, I never get lost in these woods and I think that it would be a good plan to check some of these trees for termites because they're starting to look shabby and…" She was starting to lose momentum. Eventually she paused altogether. The Andalite's stony silence was getting to her. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

Ohh yes, he said. In fact, he continued quietly, you're lucky it was me who found you and not your father. He's furious. And your mother is in hysterics.

Kia winced.

The Andalite continued in the same soft-but-deadly-serious voice. Why don't you and your little friends come with me?

Kia agreed instantly and took the hand he offered her. She waved enthusiastically for us to follow and then followed the Andalite, trotting swiftly to keep up with his swinging gait.

A man stood on the doorstep, his arms crossed over his chest and one foot tapping slowly. "Kia…" he said warningly.

"Hi, Daddy, isn't this is such a beautiful day?" Kia asked him in a bubbly voice that hinted she was avoiding the fact that she was in more trouble than she could handle.

He didn't say anything more but stood aside to let us through the door.

Inside in the living room was a pretty Native American woman who didn't say anything either, but instead turned and looked at Kia, who began to squirm within seconds.

_Uh-oh_, I thought. _That's the Look_.

The look. Cassie's specialty. That sad, mournful look in her eyes that said she was ashamed of you. That look had the power to make anyone quail in guilt, even when they hadn't really done anything. I had always hated the Look, and I could see that Kia did too.

"I…" she didn't seem to know what to say.

"Kia," sighed the woman, who I guessed was the grown-up Cassie, "What are we going to do with you?"

From behind us, the man Kia had called 'Daddy' entered the room and closed the door softly behind him. "Kiadicash," he began warningly. Kia winced at the use of her full name, and turned to him defiantly. "Need I even bother asking you what you were thinking?" he said crossly. Instantly Kia's stance changed, and she morphed from a repentant little girl to a furious teenager in seconds.

"'_What I was thinking_'?!?!" she mimicked furiously, "I just wanted to get out of here!" This was shot at the man, her eyes flashing and her fists clenched. The man looked equally peeved.

"How dare you run away like that?!" he demanded, "Do you realise just how dangerous that is? You could have been hurt, or-"

"Well, at least out there I'm not watched like a hawk! Or _by_ a hawk might be a more accurate description!"

Her father looked like he was about to explode, but at look from the woman across from him, he held himself back. Instead, he began speaking in an I-hear-what-you're-saying-but-now-listen-to-reason voice, "Kia, I understand that it's frustrating, but you can not keep wandering away like that! And I know that you're mad at me because of this whole Andalite Council mess, but you still have to keep yourself safe, you know?"

Kia glared at him. "Oh, and when you were my age, you _never_ wandered around the woods by _yourself_!" she snapped sarcastically. 'Jake' drew a quick breath.

"That was different," he said flatly.

"Oh, no!" Kia was yelling now, "No, you were the good children who _always_ obeyed their parents, stayed on the safe side of things and _didn't_ go off to fight in and _win_ the Great Yeerk War!"

At this, the man looked like he would rather like to shout himself hoarse and then shove her into a dark room and leave her there until she turned thirty-seven. The woman moved forwards, around Kia and touched his shoulder. After looking at her for a moment, the man turned away and said to his daughter, "You, Kia, are not to leave the grounds."

"Are you placing me under house arrest?" demanded the girl incredulously, then she wilted as her father turned back to her.

"Do not cross me, girl, for I am in a foul disposition!" he snapped, "Now go to your room!" Without a word, Kia turned on her heel and stalked off through the house. As she opened the door to the hallway, I saw that the Andalite from before was standing there. He had been joined by a short, Hispanic man, and they were waiting quietly for the two adults in the room with us to finish with Kia before entering or saying a word.

The adults were silent as Kia stomped up the stairs. None of them moved until we heard what I assumed was Kia's door slam above us. Then 'Jake' sank down onto a sofa with a sigh. He glanced at us, and gave a weary smile. "Sorry you had to see that. We don't usually have screaming matches. It just…"

The two in hallway entered the room. The Hispanic man collapsed on another couch. "You do realise, Jake," he began, "That by now she is out the window and a mile away?"

'Cassie' smiled nonchalantly, reached into her pocket, pulled out a small key and placed it on the coffee table.

The Spaniard, whom I guessed was Marco, stared at the key, and then back up at her in admiration. "You locked her window."

"Yep."

A/N: Twin2: I have nothing more to say. I have too many calendars.

Twin1: Okaaay. You sure you have nothing to say? What about 'see you at the bottom or else'.

Twin2: Oh, yeah. Nice to see you all here. And now comes my sister's rant about why you should review.

Twin1: You HAVE to review. We'll stop writing this unless we get reviews.

Twin2: She's bluffing.

Twin1: Shaddup. Please review!


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**

Twin2: WE DO NOT OWN THE FREAKIN' ANIMORPHS! DO NOT SUE US!!!!!  
Twin1: Whoa. Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed... again.  
Twin2: Don't mess with me.  
Twin1: Down girl. Well, she's right. We don't own the Animorphs...yet.  
Twin2: We're working on it, but we WROTE THE FREAKIN' DISCLAIMER!!! MOVE ON!!!  
Twin1: (Whispering) We better do as she says. She can get nasty.  
Twin2: Grrr!

**Cassie**

The adults, or 'Big Animorphs', as I had begun to think of them, spent a while discussing what they were going to do with Kia. The 'little Animorphs', namingly us, sort of stood around looking wrong-footed. Finally, the Big Cassie glanced at us. "I suppose you lot want to join Kia, huh? I'll-"

"I'll show them her room, Cassie," interrupted Big Marco. She smiled at him as he stood up and opened the door, jerking his head to indicate that we should follow him. I glanced at little Jake, who nodded slightly. We all stood and followed Big Marco into the hallway. As he began to walk us down it, he spoke. "You must think us all terrible for ignoring you like that," he began, "but the Kia problem is a pressing matter. My dear fellow Animorphs have no idea how to keep their darling little daughter in line." He grinned, "In fact, the older she gets, the more roguish she gets. She's been in hot water almost continuously for the last three years." We crossed a room and started climbing a flight of stairs. "Of course," Big Marco continued, "If she were a perfect little angel, think how boring life would be around here." Chuckling slightly at some private joke, he opened a door for us, revealing another set of stairs.

"Um, today in the woods, she was a little…"

"Kooky? Crazy? Bubbly? Enthusiastic? Odd? Insane?"

"Well, yes," I murmured, "Is she-" I was cut off.

"She's not crazy," Big Marco assured me, "I have no idea why she acts like that, but she's not crazy." He rapped twice on the next door we reached, waited just long enough to hear the sulky "Go away" from within and opened it for us, standing aside to let us enter.

Kia stood by the window, watching the events unfolding below. As the door opened, she turned away from the window and placed her hands on her hips. "I _said_, Go awa- oh, it's you."

We were propelled through the door by Big Marco. He poked his head in, said "Kia, come down at dinnertime, and bring this lot, alright?" and the door was closed after us.

Kia gave a brave attempt at a smile. "So, I guess you do want to be my friends, to stay through that shouting match." She plonked down on her bed, and I sat beside her. Jake and Marco began to wander around the room, picking up this or examining that. Tobias, who had until now been perched on Rachel's shoulder, fluttered to the top of the dresser. Ax just stood quietly, but I could see he was itching to examine the computer in the corner. I looked around. It was a large room, splashed with bright colours and full of amazing nick-knacks from other worlds. In the corner, a large padded basket was placed on the floor, and in it Kia's wolf was curled. "It's not usually like this here," Kia was saying, "Well, I _do_ get in trouble a lot, but Dad and I are usually on pretty good terms."

"That's good," I murmured, "But why is he so mad this time?" Kia shrugged, and looked away. Her gaze fell on Marco, who was now standing at the window, mesmerised by something.

"Hey! Can you please keep away from the windows?" Kia leapt up and tugged on Marco's arm. He didn't move, but stared out of window at the grounds. I joined them, and looked out as well. One by one all of us were standing there. Kia looked pleadingly at Jake. "Please! Can the human boys _please_ stay away from the window! They'd have a field day if they got a photo of you two here, and Dad'd do his nut! 'Specially 'f they report it on the news or whatever, not just print it in a tabloid! Please?!" Jake looked at her in comprehension, and pulled Marco out of sight. I looked down at the ground, and saw what had fascinated Marco. The window was facing out from the front of the house. Down below, there was a wide green grassy strip of land, and then large gates that marked the entrance to the house. Well, it was more of a mansion, really. And outside those gates, dozens of news reporters were crowded, with cameras filming and camera flashes going off. Kia suddenly said, "Kovu, go down and help Dad on this one." The wolf curled in the basket yawned, stood and walked to the door, then looked up expectantly. Jake, who was closest, reached out and opened the door for him, and the wolf streaked out. A few moments later he appeared outside, next to Big Jake. Big Jake proceeded to walk across the lawn and stood in front of the gates, obviously talking to them. He stayed there for several minutes, and then turned and walked back into the house. Kovu stayed for a few moments longer, hackles raised and teeth bared at the reporters. Then, as if by cue, he wheeled and ran back to the house.

At six-thirty by my watch we were herded downstairs by Kia. The moment we arrived, Big Jake grabbed Kia's arm, led her to a corner and began to talk to her in a low tone. After a moment, she hugged him, and I guessed that all was forgiven. Smiling slightly, my own future self gestured that we should sit at the table, and we ate dinner. They spoke about normal things; places they wanted to go, things they wanted to do, jokes made, things done. We Little Animorphs were included in the conversation easily, and we spent an enjoyable hour talking. Then, when dinner was finished, Big Jake looked at his watch and said to his daughter, "Kia, didn't your tutor set you homework yesterday?" Kia groaned.

"But Da-ad," she whined, "I have three weeks to do it! It's the holidays, remember?"

"I suggest you get some of it done now," said Big Cassie softly, "Otherwise we'll have a repeat of what happened last holidays." Kia flushed slightly, then grinned and stood up.

"Well, all right, Mum," she said, and disappeared upstairs.

Big Jake switched on the television set, but did not sit down. He picked up the remote and switched it to a news channel, then moved away to help clear the table. The top story, however, soon had him and indeed us all glued to the set.

"Breaking News," the pretty newscaster said, bating her eyes at the camera, "Kiadicash Rachel Berenson, daughter of Jake Berenson and lovingly referred to as 'Princess Kia' has been found after she disappeared earlier today. Samuel Johnson reports." She disappeared, and the screen flashed to a different person. He was standing outside a huge set of gates with a manor clearly visible through them. I realised with a jolt that it was the very building we stood in. Big Jake slipped his arms around Big Cassie and they both looked attentively at the broadcast. The reporter had begun to speak.

"It's all quiet now, but just a few hours ago these grounds and the woods adjoining them were abuzz with frantic people all searching for their lost princess. Even the Prince Aximilli, who had arrived on Earth only minutes before joined in the hunt. Everyone was incredibly anxious as to what had befallen the much-loved youngest member of the Berenson family. Rumours flew wild, some including that she was kidnapped by terrorists or various anti-alien or pro-Yeerk groups. I can tell you, it was very tense. Finally, Prince Jake brought us news that Kia had been found and brought home safely."

The picture cut to a pre-recorded conversation. The screen now showed Big Jake standing just inside the gates with Kovu at his side. There were a dozen microphones pushed through the bars towards him, and hundred questions being shouted by the people holding them. The Prince smiled and held up his hands for silence, then began to speak.

"I am pleased to report that Kia is now safe and sound and back home. She is fine, not even a scratch on her."

"Prince Jake, can you confirm the rumours – was this a kidnapping?" demanded one reporter. Big Jake gave a little laugh.

"I think that this is more a case of 'little girl lost'," he grinned, "My daughter simply lost herself in the woods."

"So no party or individual abducted her or caused her to become lost?"

"Of course not. Kia just was wandering. She shouldn't have wandered so far, and she knows that, but this was no conspiracy or political statement."

"And who was it that found the Princess?" asked another reporter, looking vaguely disappointed.

"Ax- uh, I mean, Prince Aximilli was the one who found her," murmured Big Jake.

"And do you plan to punish her for 'wandering off', as you put it?"

The man answering the questions suddenly looked irritated, but held his temper in check and spoke politely. "I believe that punishment for a disobedient child should be carried out behind closed doors so as not to embarrass her unduly. But seeing as you asked, I will tell you that I will wait until my panic and her fear both subside, and then hear what she has to say for herself before deciding whether to punish her or not."

At this, he waved his hand dismissively. A storm of questions broke out after him, and he spoke again, but this time his voice held a note of annoyance. "I have answered enough questions for today, and have spared all the time I can for you. Right now, my family needs me." With that, he turned on his heel and marched off to the house. The reporters started to scream after him, but the wolf, Kovu, began to growl. This was enough to stop the reporters scaling the gates and running after him, and after a moment the camera cut back to Samuel Johnson.

"Well, as you heard, Kia is back safe and sound, and is now locked up tight for the night! When fellow Animorph Marco left the manor to return to his own home, he confided in us that she was not in any trouble at this stage, but to rest assured that she was not going wandering again for a long while. One has to admit, this is not the first time Princess Kia has wandered off, and she has already proved herself to be rebellious and unruly, as was shown when she blatantly insulted the Andalite Council last week. Many are beginning to think that the Prince Jake should find her a nanny or bodyguard to keep her under control, or begin to punish his daughter for her disgraceful behaviour. Prince Jake however, stands by what he said last week: that 'I think a wolf is bodyguard enough, and I _do_ punish Kia, but do not make it a public affair. I do not think that the world needs to know every detail of matters such as that'. When asked about her disruptive behaviour, he smiled and said, 'Yes, well, she does have a wild streak in her. She gets that from my cousin. Believe me when I say that it is incurable.'" The reporter stopped quoting and leaned forward, a serious expression on his face, "But many wonder how many more events like this it will take for him to try."

Big Jake released Big Cassie and switched off the set. "T.V. is so depressing these days!" he said cheerfully as he placed the remote on the coffee table. "Now, I think it's about bed time, don't you? Come on, we'll find you some rooms."

Much later, lying in the bed they had provided, I felt the full shock of meeting my own future self. I had got through the day by not really thinking about it, but now all the awkardness and downright weirdness of our situation hit me in full force. I mean, we had been cast forward in time, yet become suddenly younger then we were, and had met our future selves. Not to mention Jake's daughter. _My daughter_ I thought. Because she had to be my daughter as well, that had been made clear enough, with everything from Big Jake hugging my future self to Kia calling Big Cassie 'Mum'. I felt myself flush at this thought, and glanced self-consciously at the bed where Rachel was sleeping soundly. We were sharing a room, and the human boys were sharing the room next to us. Ax and Tobias were both outside. I squirmed slightly, and swiftly moved my mind onto other things. Like why none of the Big Animorphs had recognised us. After a moment's contemplation, I decided that they either remembered doing this themselves or had been blinded to the fact that we were them by the Ellimist. And we were probably younger because it helped Kia to relate to people her own age, and vice-versa. Sighing, and still red from the realisation that I was going to marry Jake some day, I rolled over and fell asleep.

A/N:

Twin 2: Okay, if we don't get the next chapter up fast, it won't be for lack  
of trying. My IT teacher was foaming at the mouth today when he caught me at  
it twice.  
Twin 1: (Wincing) Did you get detention?  
Twin2: Nuh. I'd done so much of my other work that he decided I was just  
being a high-spirited teenager. Then he went and roused on somebody else for  
using GameMaker.  
Twin1: Oooh, GameMaker? Did they get a detention?  
Twin2: No, they got five detentions. GameMaker is forbidden at school, unless  
specifically requested by the teacher.

Twin1: (Cackles)


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Twin1: We do not own the Animorphs, or any of the plots or characters but any new ones you see here, which we invented over a painstaking year.

Twin2: So paws off! No touchies!

A/N: Twin1: Sorry it so long to get this up.

Twin2: We tried! Stupid IT teacher! He set us a FREAKIN' HUGE project, no doubt as punishment for typing fanfics instead of HTML coding. And so I spend six hours when I should have been sleeping trying to get it finished, so I COULD write fanfics whithout endangering my wellbeing. However, I am still grumpy. I am still tired. And that stupid project is still NOT FINNISHED!!!! You lot better be grateful for this!!!!

Twin1: Well, on the bright side, you're six hours closer to finishing!

Twin2: (Gives Twin1 death glare)

Twin1: (Winces)

Twin2: My IT teacher is the very devil himself.

Twin1: (Giggles) Mr. Linahan. Visser Three in a tie. Well, anyway people, enjoy!

**Kia**

My name is Kia. Okay, I have always wanted to write that. Seriously. Ever since I was tiny, I had always wanted to be just like my parents. To say, 'My name is Kia. I can't tell you my last name. If I do, they might find us. The Yeerks.' An Animorph. That's what I wanted to be. But of course, you all know my last name; Berenson. And there's not much chance of the Yeerks caring, as they are mostly extinct anyway. So I'm stuck being who I always was: Princess Kia, daughter of Jake of the Animorphs, the spoilt little daddy's girl. No skin-tight morphing suit and adventure every day, no siree. It was off to balls for you, my girl, all dressed up in a gown of enough fabric to make a tent.

I am told I take after my father's late cousin Rachel, whoever she was. I know of her, of course. I learnt about her in my history classes with my tutors, but I still wonder who she _was_, if I was so like her. I know that she was my father's cousin, my mother's best friend and the gung-ho crazy warrior chick (that last bit of information came from Marco). I also know that she liked shopping, gymnastics and a good fight, but not necessarily in that order. I personally don't think I am like her at all, based on this data. I dislike any organised sport, gymnastics included, and fighting has never been my strong point, though I can put up a hell of a struggle when I want to. I downright HATED shopping. My attire of choice is old (really old, as in holes in the knees and way too short) jeans and a sweater. In fact, my dresses frequently had 'accidents', all of which involving the dress being destroyed. Pity, that.

Anyway.

I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was dawn – my favourite time of day. I was bored. Now, this was not that unusual. As a rule, when I was inside, I was bored. I rolled off the bed and pulled on some clothes, then knelt beside Kovu's bed. The wolf lifted his head and, after a moment, stood quietly. Grinning, I said, "Let's clear out of here, and go have some fun, yes?" Kovu's only reply was to pant happily, looking for an instant like a big dog. Fighting back my giggles, I slid out the door and crept down the hallway. We would head out to the woods, and run south towards the mountains. Very carefully, not making a sound, I tiptoed past my parents' room, and then broke into a noiseless run. Opening the kitchen door, I slipped out into the brisk morning air. My hand was on the back gate when something made me stop. Dad's words of the night before came back to me suddenly. "Kia, I know you tire of living a 'princess's life', and I hear you when you tell me that. But, at the same time, I need you to promise me that you won't go wandering without my permission. I only want to keep you safe." I groaned. I remembered how I had cheerfully promised, and then hugged him. Kovu whined, pawing at the gate. My hand tightened on it, and I looked over it to the woods beyond, itching to explore and play in them. After a few moments, I dropped my hand to my side and turned back towards the house. _Damn conscience_, I thought,_ It's always spoiling my fun!_

**Stranger**

I moved towards the house. I was carrying a large leather bag, the sort which humans call a suitcase. In it, there was a few items of clothing, toiletries, and something special, needed for me to complete my task in this house. I was nearly at the door when an Andalite intercepted me. It was hard to keep my face from twisting into an expression of hatred and disgust. Instead, I smiled politely.

((Do you have business here, human?)) asked the Andalite.

"Yes," I replied, "I am here to replace the maid that was injured in an unfortunate accident." _An accident I arranged_, I thought. The Andalite smiled at me.

((Ah. You are here to replace Stephanie. Very well. Prince Jake and his family are just eating breakfast, along with Kia's… guests.)) The Andalite made a face and gestured for me to continue. As I rang the doorbell, he ran off to do whatever it is Andalites do at eight o'clock in the morning. The door was answered by an elderly man, the butler by his clothes, who welcomed me inside and showed me my room. I sank onto the bed with a sigh. I was in.

A/N: Twin1: Sorry sorry sorry it's short!

Twin2: I hate it when we write short chapters!

Twin1: Not as much as the reviewers do!

Twin2: Never fear! We are writing more, even now!

Twin1: Review!!!!!!!!!


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Twin1: We do not own the Animorphs, and we frown upon slavery.  
Twin2: And for the dimmer amongst you, 'frown' is a metaphor. (cracks knuckles)  
Twin1: Uh-oh. (Steps out of range).

**Warning: **Twin1: Warning! Someone does die in this chapter!

Twin2: And no, before you close the document in disgust, it isn't Kia.

Twin1: Or her father. Or Rachel.

Twin2: Why would we bring Rachel back to life just to kill her again?

Twin1: If we did, we would as bad as, or WORSE than K. A. Applegate.

Twin2: Now, before we give away anything _else_ (elbows Twin1 in ribs), on with the story!

**Kia**

Breakfast was… peaceful. In other words, boring. Yet another boring section of my life out of the way forever.

Sigh. Why couldn't I have been born a generation earlier?

After breakfast, I returned to my room to change into some more… suitable clothing, as my father put it, or the Garments of Hell as I put it.

I was shocked to see a completely strange woman kneeling in the middle of my room, studiously flicking a duster under my bed.

"What are you doing in my room?!" I demanded loudly, ready to dash out the door if something turned out to be wrong. Not to mention what you're doing under my bed.

"Oh! Princess!" The woman dropped her duster with a squeak. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Who are you are and why are you here?" I asked in my most diplomatic voice.

"Princess, your regular maid, Stephanie, had a bit of an accident. I'm her replacement, at least until her leg heals up, but that shan't be for a while. It was really a nasty break. My name is Melanie."

"I don't like you," I spat at her. I really didn't.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure we shall become good friends," the woman returned mildly as she recollected her duster and scurried out of the room. "Good day, Princess."

I glared after her. I had no reason for such instantaneous distaste, but I hated the woman after seconds in her company.

I plunked myself down onto my bed with a groan, and I began to plot the best ways to force the woman to resign. It was something I did whenever someone came into service that I didn't trust.

Kovu followed me into the room. I smiled at him and returned to my schemes.

**Stranger**

Curses!

That brat of a girl just had to walk in when she did! Another thirty seconds and my job would have been done!

My host was weeping uncontrollably. _Why can't you just leave her alone?_ she wailed in my head_. She's only a child! _

"Oh shut up," I muttered.

"Excuse me?" said a voice from behind me.

Oh crap.

I spun around to see Prince Jake standing behind me, his hands on his hips. Uneasily I remembered the stories that he could sense Yeerks and their hosts – willing or no.

"Y-yes, Prince Jake?" I said nervously.

"Jake," he said distractedly. "Who were you talking to?"

I smiled prettily at him. "Me? Oh, no, sir, I was just talking to myself." Internally I was locked in a furious battle for control with my host. She was shrieking wildly, trying to wrest control from me and divulge my plot; warn him of the danger his damned offspring was in.

Slowly the fight subsided, and I realised Prince Jake had wandered off. _Good_, I thought. _I need a second shot at the second step. Him hanging around wouldn't help one bit._

**Kia**

I stormed out of my room, pausing only to lock the door and carefully stow the key in my pocket. Making as much noise as possible, I stomped across a landing and down a flight of stairs, before I banged into my father.

He steadied me where I might have fallen over the railings. "Geez, Kia, what's wrong?" he asked me.

"I don't like the new maid!" I exclaimed.

"Who? Melanie?" he said, looking confused. "Why not?"

"I don't know!" I wailed. "I just don't like her! She doesn't feel safe and she shouldn't be here! Get rid of her! Please?"

My father surveyed me seriously. "Kia, I'm not going to fire the girl just because you don't_ like_ her. I can't: it wouldn't be fair."

"But-"

"No buts. You'll just have to get along until Stephanie comes back. And that's final." With that, he walked off. I glared after him, furious. He knew I had good instincts when it came to people, and I just knew that this woman would come to no good! Kovu, standing beside me, sensed my frustration and licked my hand. I glanced down at him, and then back at the door through which my father had disappeared.

"Stuff my conscience," I declared, "Let's go exploring, boy."

**Stranger **

I glanced behind me, checking that I was alone in the corridor, and reached towards Kia's door. It was locked. I almost smiled.

"How childish," I murmured as I deftly picked the lock. The door swung open easily, and I sauntered in as though I owned the place. Looking around, I had to admit that it was a nice room. The girl herself seemed to be a reasonable example of her race. She had some fire in her too, unlike most of the snivelling fools that humans seemed to be. It was almost a pity… well, not quite.

Cleverly, I did what I came to do, and then left. I closed the door behind me and looked at my watch. Not long now…

**Kia**

I was almost at the back gate again when I was approached by the four humans and one Andalite that I had bought home with me. I winced; I had forgotten they were even here. I forced up a cheerful smile as they reached me.

"Hey, Kia!" said the Hispanic one. I realised suddenly that I didn't even know their names. And yet, somehow, in a way that I couldn't quite describe, I felt like I knew them, and had indeed known them my whole life. My mind flicked back to the way they had introduced themselves initially: as the Animorphs, and I grinned in amusement.

"Kia?" said the other boy. He definitely was their leader. And he looked so familiar… "Kia!"

I jerked back to the present, and gave myself a mental slap on both cheeks. "Yes?" I said cheerfully. _Snap out of it, Kia! _

"Are you alright?" the dark-skinned girl asked concernedly.

"Fine, fine," I murmured, "I was just a million miles away, is all. How are you?"

"Um, great," said the leader uncertainly. "Where are you going?"

I grinned impishly. "Oh, I was thinking of following my nose," I said, chuckling evilly. The panicked look on their faces was enough to coax a real laugh out of me. "Of course, you are welcome to come, and we could just have a picnic on the grounds or something."

"It's a deal," said the Spaniard cheerfully. He slipped his arm through mine, just as Marco or even Dad have done so many times before. I couldn't help noticing the blonde girl glaring at him, and chuckled, taking her arm with my free one. Together, with Kovu in tow, the six of us started our walk through the grounds of my home.

**Stranger**

I had barely slipped out of the child's room when I bumped straight into Jake the Yeerk-Killer himself, for the second time that day. I gulped, my mind flashing once again on all the myths and legends I had heard about him. My host was screaming in my head. Oh, no, he was looking right at me, frowning. _Daspen_, he knew! He knew who I was! My host was going nuts, and I was going to lose control-

"Melanie?" Prince Jake said, "What-"

"I'm sorry, Prince, I have to go!" I gasped. I ran out of there as fast as I could, and collapsed on the floor as soon as I was out of his sight. I was shaking: that had been terrifying! I wanted nothing more than to run, leave the house and run until I was a hundred thousand light-years from the dreaded Prince Jake. But I had to stay, and see this assignment through to the end. I looked at my watch once more. It was nearly over. The end was in sight. Climbing to my feet, I wiped my steaming eyes and started down the corridor once more.

_He knows who you are_, my host sang in my head, _he'll tear you out of my head and squash you like the slug you are, Yeerk!_

_You've been saying the same things over and over for the last three days! _I snapped, _You need to either think up some new material or shut up. You act tough, but I know you, Melanie! You're just a scared little girl, so why don't just leave war to the warriors?_

_Hey! It wasn't _me_ sobbing on the floor, terrified of Prince Jake's physic ability!_ The human was furious. _And I'm twenty-three; hardly a 'scared little girl'!_

"Oh, shut UP!!" I snapped, unable to take it any more. "You have got to be the most infuriating host in the history of hosts! Just SHUT UP, you _daspen_!!"

_Temper, temper._

I was spared reacting when I heard voices coming from a room off the hallway. The door was ajar, so I crept up and peeked through the crack. Price Jake and his wife, Cassie, were standing in it.

"Where is Kia?" asked Prince Jake, "She hasn't run off again has she?"

"No, Jake," laughed Cassie, "Look." She gestured out the window to where Kia and her group of friends sat on the grass, eating a picnic. I hoped that she would return to her room soon, or my plan might not work. No, if she stayed in the grounds… it would work. Yes, it would work.

I crept away again, and looked at my watch. Yes, again. Just a few more seconds…

**BOOM!!**

A deafening bang…

The wall shook violently…

The roof crashed down on my head…

Excruciating pain…

Then darkness.

**Kia**

We were eating our picnic, when suddenly there was a huge explosion coming from the house! Bits of rubble and sparks flew out towards us, but I didn't care. I was up and running, running towards the house, one thought on my mind: to get to my parents.

I barely heard the shout "Kia, stop! It's dangerous!" from the leader-boy, and ignored it, racing back home. Let them chase me!

Then I was tackled to the ground by the blonde girl, who said as she pinned me, "Oh, there is _no way _I'm going to let you be that stupid!" The others had reached me, and the two boys grabbed my arms and began to drag me backwards towards the woods. The blonde pushed my chest and kicked at my feet when I dug them in.

"No. No!" I whimpered, looking at my smouldering ruin of a house, "No! Mum, Dad! Dad!" I stopped shouting and screamed. A long, high-pitched shriek of pain and loss. "No! Daddy! Answer me!"

But no-one did. I stared at the crumbling, burning house that held my parents in horror, and then went limp. My sudden lack of resistance startled the boys, and I fell to the ground. I collapsed in a ball, weeping, not even caring that someone picked me up and began to carry me away from my home.

**Stranger**

I opened my eyes in surprise, astounded that I had survived. What I saw when my eyes adjusted, however, made me realise that I probably wouldn't stay that way very long. Prince Jake stood over me in his tiger morph, his wife by his side. Grouped around me were Marco, Prince Aximilli, even Tobias! I was in terrible pain, and a quick glance revealed that the explosion had removed both my legs. I nearly passed out then and there, but the tiger – Jake – growled, baring his fangs.

((What have you done?!)) demanded the human Prince, ((Where is Kia?!))

"Dead!" I spat, "And good riddance!" The tiger opened his mouth and roared, a noise which made my host's blood run cold. I, however, sneered at him, finally showing my hatred. "You don't scare me, Prince," I snarled, "Feel the pain of loss! The pain we all felt so long ago, when you murdered hundreds of my brothers and sisters to win your war!"

((You're a Yeerk!?!)) he yelled.

"Ah, the penny drops," I growled, and then coughed, spraying them all with blood. I had obviously sustained serious internal damage as well. "But wherever your daughter is, however she died, Jake, know this: I hope she suffered!" With that, I closed my eyes and passed forever into darkness. I could go peacefully to my death. My job was done.

A/N:

Twin1: (rubbings ribs) That really hurt.

Twin2: Oh, build me a bridge. No, on second thoughts, I'll do it myself. (Wanders away looking for timber.)

Twin1: She doesn't get that saying, does she? Anyway, REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Runs after Twin2) Hey, come back here! It's a figure of speech, for crying out loud!


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Twin1: We don't own jack.

Twin2: That's such a peculiar phrase.  
Twin1: I know. It SHOULD be 'we don't own Jake'.  
Twin2: We don't own Jake, anyone else, or Jack (whoever the hell he is.)

**A/N: **Twin1: Sorry this took… three months to get up. We had a major case of writer's block, and, as you will see, we're not quite over it. But we do know where it's going now! And we have a lead! And the holidays are coming up for me, so I'll have all eternity (i.e. until I go back to school in January (It's this weird recreation idea of mum's. Don't ask.)) to write the daughter. The delays will come with Twin2 being (snigger) stuck in school and unable to edit and complete my chapters.

Twin2: Shaddup.

**Jake**

I placed Kia gently on the ground. She was still sobbing uncontrollably, and I felt my heart tear to look at her, but I couldn't have let her go back into that house.

"What just happened?" hissed Marco, staring back through the trees towards the crumbling house.

I shook my head helplessly. "I don-"

"That was for me!" wailed the girl at my feet, "For me! They were trying to kill me! And now mum and dad are dead – because of me!" She buried her head in her arms and broke down, her tears dripping through her arms and wetting the dirt and pine needles beneath her. Cassie knelt next to her and put an arm around her shaking shoulders.

"Shhh," she murmured, "You have no way of knowing what that explosion was, and even if it was an assassination attempt, you don't know it was for you."

"Yes I do!" howled Kia, "I just know these things! I don't know _how _I know, I just do!"

I exchanged a tired look with Marco before sitting down on the ground and putting my head in my hands, trying to quash a headache as I considered this bizarre future.

I was shocked by the destruction. A bomb… from Kia's near-incoherent wailing, a bomb placed under her bed, meant to kill _her._

I wasn't sure I liked this future. It just seemed a little crazy.

Then I realised what I'd just thought. _Crazy? Hah! Crazy's my middle name!_

I wondered what we were going to do now. We were complete and utter strangers in this reality. The world was about twenty years older than we remembered. So much had changed.

I looked over at Kia. She was sitting on the edge of the clearing we were in, staring blankly, tears still sliding down her face at irregular intervals. I began to wonder idly if she even knew our names. No, she didn't, and it might be a good thing.

I didn't want to disturb her, but I needed some ideas on what to do now. After some thought, I went to talk to Rachel.

The minute she saw me she said, "Uh-uh. Don't look at me, cousin. You're the leader. I don't have a clue what to do."

I glared at her. "Thanks, Rachel. That's very helpful."

She grinned, showing her canines. "You're welcome. Now, how do we get out of this mess?"

I bit my lip, thinking. "Well, I am assuming that wherever the Ellimist goes, Crayak will be quick to follow. So Crayak is on our tails and Ellimist is heaven-knows-where. So, if Crayak is trying to kill us then we should probably keep moving. Or maybe we should head back. Kia's room is well fortified; it might have contained the blast."

"I still say that the Ellimist has thrown us in the deep end with too little information," said Marco gloomily.

That is what the Ellimist does, Ax pointed out dully, He doesn't care what we think; only about meeting his own needs. 

He's not all bad, objected Tobias, I mean, he is relatively the good guy. Sort of. And he did save us – all of us – that's got to count for something. 

"You guys seem to know a lot about the Ellimist," Kia said, raspy. We all jumped. I hadn't even been aware that Kia was listening! She sniffled and continued, "Mum and Dad told me stories about him, how he helped them, although Marco always muttered something in the background about hindrance, too. Is the Ellimist fiddling in your lives, too? Like he fiddled with Mum and Dad's?" She bit her lips as a fresh flood of tears began to leak down her face.

I glanced at Rachel, who twitched her head to the side in a sort of half-shrug. I sighed. "Sort of."

"The Ellimist sounds like he wants to help, but there are always "sacrifices to be made"," Kia said slowly. "Like a game of chess. I've never liked chess. Too slow-paced, for one thing."

"Imagine that," said Marco dryly. "Too slow-paced for Kia. Ha ha."

"Kia," I intervened, "I was wondering how strong the walls of your bedroom were?"

The girl shrugged slowly, looking mildly confused. "Pretty damn strong. Dad used to say they were the strongest four walls in the house."

I glanced at Tobias, who nodded, somewhat wearily, and took off to scout out the remains of the house, as Kia buried her head in her arms and began to wail again.

Cassie sighed softly and gently rocked Kia back and forth, lovingly humming some little lullaby tune I didn't know. It was a sweet tune, but sad.

We couldn't go anywhere until Tobias came back, although he would certainly find us and catch up. I was trying to work out a plan of action (an operation akin to wading through molasses) when my friend's thought-speak voice startled me into jumping to my feet.

((Jake! Jake, you're never going to believe this!))

"Believe what?" I said aloud, before remembering that I couldn't use thought-speak and therefore everyone was now looking at me very oddly. Apparently they hadn't heard him.

The bird in question swooped down from the sky and landed on my shoulder. I stumbled slightly and then braced myself against the floor, fighting back a wince as his talons dug into my shoulder. "Believe what?" I repeated.

((Jake, the house may have collapsed but it was by no means blown to pieces. There's a lot of stuff back there almost undamaged.))

"And?"

((The only way that house could have collapsed in such good condition is sabotage. Kia's room was the only one with a bomb planted but other parts had to have been weakened for it to go down like it did.))

"Seriously?" I asked. "Did you see anything else?"

No bodies, if that's what you mean. Well, there was one, that weird maid… can't remember her name. But no one else. Kia's dad, her mother, the older Marco, Tobias and Ax – I don't know where they are, but they didn't die in that explosion.))

"You're sure?" I asked, eyes bright. Cassie was still watching me but Marco was now annoying Rachel, with Ax either spectating or refereeing.

((I'm certain, Jake.))

I grinned, before the cheerfulness faded. "What if they were buried and you couldn't see them? They were on the ground floor when we left." I kept my voice soft, not wanting to upset Kia further.

Tobias's feathers drooped. ((That's possible,)) he admitted, ((but I didn't see anything, Jake. Not a drop of blood or a single hair apart from those near the maid. That was it.))

I nodded sadly, morose once more. "Tell the others what you found," I murmured.

"What is with the bird?" Kia asked sharply. "You're talking to him like he's answering you!"

I winced and looked at Cassie. She sighed, and looked at me. Her eyes shifted to wolf gold for just a minute before changing back to warm brown.

I nodded, having my answer. "He is talking to me, in thought-speak," I replied. "He's a nothlit, since he was a teenager. About your age, actually. His name's Tobias."

"That doesn't sound like an Andalite name," Kia growled stubbornly. Now that she had something to concentrate on, the tears had vanished. This did not bode well for our anonymity.

"Well… no…" I exchanged uneasy glances with the others. Kia narrowed her eyes at me and I could just see her figuring it out.

"What did you say your name was?" she asked suspiciously.

I winced. "He didn't," put in Marco.

"Yes you did. You said you were the…" Her eyes widened.

"And the penny drops," Rachel muttered sardonically.

Kia jumped to her feet, staring at me. "No way," she whispered.

"Yes way," said Rachel, losing what little patience she had.

Kia glanced at her briefly, and then looked back at me. "Did you know this would happen?!" she shouted suddenly, gesturing back towards the house.

"Nope," Marco replied sharply, leaning back. "We just got dumped here by a super-dimensional pain-in-the-butt."

Kia's face crumpled again and she swayed as she remembered her parents. Instinctively I reached out to steady her, but before I could touch her, I heard someone shouting desperately through the trees.

"Kia? Kia! KIA!?"

Kia's head jerked up and she looked around wildly, then began to run towards the voices. Yelling after her to stop, I began to run after her, the others in tow.

"Man, this girl is really hard to keep alive," commented Marco.

**A/N:** Twin1: Well, I'm off to my third last day of school for the whole year. (Sighs and stretches). Twin2, you'd better try to recharge for the next six months in which you _will _be attending school.

Twin2: Don't make me kill you.

Twin1: I'm on the opposite side of the globe. I hardly think you can reach me.

Twin2: (Ominously) I have connections.

Twin1: Eeep. Okay, I'm going into hiding, but while I do that, you readers REVIEW!!!!!!!!! I mean it! You now know Twin2 has _connections_, so review or else.

Twin2: It might be noted that 'or else' means a hired hit man.


	9. Chapter 8

Twin1: You know, the night we posted that author's note, warning you about our writer's block, Twin2 went and took a sledgehammer to it. No more writer's block on her side; temporarily at least.

Twin2: I love smashing writer's block into millions of tiny pieces. (waves hammer)

Twin1: (runs to restrain Twin2) Except it's gone and kicked in again. So enjoy the chapter while it lasts; the writer's block is back with reinforcements.

**---**

**Cassie**

I stopped up short, panting furiously. We had followed Kia through the trees until she reached this clearing. Now she was standing in its centre, looking around. More voices had joined the one calling.

"Kia?! Kia!!"

Kia! KIA! 

"Kia? Come on, Sweetie!"

"Where are you?!" screamed Kia tearfully. There was a pause in the calling voices, then they started again.

"Kia, baby, don't move. We're coming to find you."

"Just stay right there."

"Keep talking to us, Sweetie."

"I thought you – that you –"

There was a rustle, and suddenly three people and a tiger bust through the bushes and hurtled towards Kia. The tiger pulled ahead, bowled into the young girl, settled himself on the ground and began to lick her roughly. The others, two humans and an Andalite, reached Kia, and smothered her in hugs. I instantly recognised them, of course; it was the big Animorphs. I sighed with relief to see that they were all alright, more for Kia's sake than anything else. Big Jake was rapidly demorphing, and once he had he began to check his daughter over for injuries.

"She's fine," he murmured, "A few scratches, but she's fine."

Big Cassie buried her face in Kia's hair and murmured, "Thank God. Are you okay, sweet heart?"

Kia was looking rather dazed, staring in wonderment at the people all around her. "I thought you were dead," she whispered, "I heard the explosion and thought… I didn't go back. I wanted to, but…" She glanced at me, and then at the others, who stood a little to my left.

You made a wise choice, Big Ax reassured her, If you had gone back, you would have been killed. 

"Told you so," muttered Rachel, but not so Kia could hear her.

**Jake**

We moved a little further into the woods, then set up camp. That is, we all sat down in a clearing. Kia was babbling to her father, telling him everything that had happened to her since the house had blown up. He raised his eyebrows when she told that who we were, but then gave her an indulgent smile.

"If you say so, Kia," he said. Kia, naturally, hit the roof.

"It's true and I'm not making it up and you should ask them if you don't believe me and SINCE WHEN HAVE I EVER LIED?!"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Big Jake did, however, give us a second glance, and then he frowned and began to speak in whisper to Big Cassie and Big Marco.

After a moment, Big Cassie said to the fidgeting Kia, "Why don't you and Kovu (A/N: Her wolf. Remember him?) go for a walk and try to find a stream nearby."

"Okay," Kia said brightly. She stood up and took off, shouting over her shoulder as she went, "I won't be long, I'll stay nearby, blah blah blah, see you!"

Kovu trotted after her jauntily.

Big Jake waited 'till she was out of sight, then turned back to us. "Sit down," he said seriously, gesturing to a fallen log. We did so nervously, and he added, "Now, tell me everything. From the start."

We hesitated. I could sense the other's reluctance to speak. Big Jake obviously could as well, because he knelt down and looked us straight in the eyes. "I hate to press, but this is my _daughter_," he said gently. "I need to know what's going on. Now that I look at you, of course I recognise you, but I don't remember ever visiting the future myself…" He trailed away and looked at the others, who shook their heads to show that they were as clueless as he. He turned back to us. Suddenly, I found myself spilling everything that had happened out to him, with the aid of the others.

"…then when the house blew up, we figured it'd be a good plan to haul butt and get Kia away from there," I finished.

Big Jake nodded. "Yes, that was definitely the right course of action. But…" He frowned. "How did Kia know?"

"Know what?" I asked, completely clueless.

Big Jake began to talk, soft and low. The other older Animorphs leaned in to hear him. He might have been talking to himself, but he was watching me with too much intensity for that. "Before, Kia told me that she didn't trust the new maid. She absolutely detested her, at first sight, and she told me. I just figured she was being moody, but after the explosion…"

He paused, evidently considering whether or not to tell us. He seemed to decide that we'd been through most of what he had, and so continued, "We found out that the maid Kia had hated so badly was a Yeerk." We all breathed in sharply, excluding the older Animorphs. They seemed angry, yes, but not shocked. Not like us. "She had set the bomb under Kia's bed. But she didn't break at all until the very end when she and her host were dying. So how did Kia know not to trust her?"

Cassie – the older one – frowned slightly. "That's a good question," she admitted. "Kia's got a nose for trouble, I'll confess, but usually only for landing herself in it. Certainly, she takes to people or hates them in the space of a few seconds, but… never so violently. And never with a reason."

Now that was weird. I had to think for a second before it made sense. "She often makes snap judgements, then?" Cassie asked – the younger one, obviously.

"Hardly ever makes any other sort," Jake admitted, leaning back – the bigger one. I'm not crazy enough to talk about myself in third person, thank you. "And… I've never really thought about it before, but they were always true. Her instincts have never been wrong yet. But she's just a kid. How could she be so intuitive at such a young age?"

"She could have inherited it," said Marco meekly. Well, as meek as Marco can ever be. "Along with her sense of adventure, with respect, sir." And the meekness went out the window with that last comment.

"True," Cassie admitted. "I always thought she was born a generation late for her taste. She would have loved to have been the one to fight against the Yeerks, and here she is now, having to make speeches. If she did inherit her instincts from us, I doubt she'd ever be content with normal life – should she even have one. Even this sort of political life isn't the one she would prefer to have. She's just too spirited – she'd never be content with just sitting back and playing it safe."

A red-tailed hawk suddenly flapped down to us, landing neatly on the elder Jake's arm. Hey, Jake? 

"Yes, Tobias?" he asked absent-mindedly, his thoughts still on the instincts problem.

I'm thinking that sending Kia to find a stream on her own was a bad idea. 


End file.
